A Mutual Exchange
by skysayzrawr
Summary: When Drusilla nearly kills Buffy, Spike is left with a choice. Death, or unlife? What will happen when the Slayer wakes up tomorrow, slightly...different? Spuffy!
1. Death or Unlife?

_I don't really like Twilight so much- but by no means do I hate it. I used to like it, and it's more of a fond memory by now. One thing I did appreciate was the willingness of the main character to become a vampire- it seems like such a logical way for a vamp-loving gal to solve her problems! Aging, having tasty blood, weaknesses, you name it. Unfortunately all the other strong female leads (Buffy, Sookie, etc.) act like it's a death curse or something! Well, it kind of is, but you know…I can understand their moral inability to become that kind of a thing, and I know that Buffy would not accept being a vampire unless it was to save someone she loved. But, hey- whoever said she got to choose? Okay, enough with the preachy-ness (Oh, god. Too much Buffy) and on with the darn fic already! It's been bouncing around in my head for a while…_

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. 'Cause if I did, why would I be writing this stuff when I could be writing more Buffy episodes to air on the TV station I bought with all my money? Right, I wouldn't. _

_This story basically starts out in an out-of canon episode "Crush" in season five- what if Harmony hadn't shown up?_

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"There she is." Spike muttered softly as Buffy came around. Realizing that the man who was dangerously emotional right now had chained her up in his (more or less) basement, she instinctively tested out the strength of the bonds. She looked furiously at Spike when they didn't let up. He had been coming closer to her and was now very nearly touching her.

"You didn't think you'd sleep the night way, did you?" he asked sarcastically. As Buffy's memory came rushing back, she blanched.

"Dru…" she said, putting the pieces together again. "Drusilla."

Raising his eyebrows, Spike leaned backwards enough to show Buffy that Drusilla, last seen tazing her with a cattle prod, was also chained up- albeit with rope instead of actual shackles.

"Not nice to change the game in mid-play, Spike." she said, dejected. "You've taken my chair and the music hasn't stopped…"

"Sorry, pet. My house, my rules." he replied, before turning to Buffy again.

"I think I should be very cross with you when I'm free again." Drusilla muttered, trying to attract Spike's attention again. Buffy was having none of it.

"What's going on?" she demanded, infuriated with the peroxided vampire.

"Something." he said. "I'm gonna prove something."

Drawing closer, he looked straight into Buffy's eyes. Green met blue and she could see the sincerity in the depths of them.

"I love you." he said. It didn't come as a shock, but Buffy felt she had to do something- you react when someone says that, it's practically a rule!

"Oh my god…" she murmured, looking away and putting on a disgusted expression. Grabbing her chin, Spike easily turned her head back to where it was.

"Hey. Look at me," he said, tone deepening. "I. Love. You."

Buffy whipped her head out of his hand and shot him a nasty look.

"You're all I bloody think about." Spike said, eyes seeming to water. "Dream about. You're in my gut, in my throat. I'm drownin' in you, Summers, I'm _drownin'_."

From behind him, Drusilla began to chuckle madly.

"I could do without the laugh track, Dru." Spike said dryly, turning to look at her.

"But it's so funny!" she insisted. She suddenly seemed to realize something. "I knew…before you did. I knew you loved the Slayer, pixies in my head whispered it to me."

"You can't tell me that there's nothing there between you and me," Spike urged, turning back to Buffy. "You can't tell me you don't feel something." From behind him, Drusilla continued to babble to no one in particular.

"It's called _revulsion_." Buffy said firmly. "And whatever you think you're feeling, it's not love. You can't love without a soul!"

"Oh, we can, you know." Drusilla interjected, seemingly sane for a moment. "We can love _quite well_…if not wisely"

"You still don't believe." Spike said, not asking, just stating. Drusilla had indeed had a sane moment and if Spike hadn't been so mixed up, he would have known to tread carefully. As it was, he ignored her. "You still don't believe I mean it. You want proof?"

He walked over to a nearby pile of things on a desk, grabbing a stake. Buffy flinched, thinking for a mad moment that he was coming for her. Instead, he went over to Drusilla, putting the stake near her heart. He looked over to Buffy, forgetting that Drusilla was highly dangerous.

"I'm gonna kill Drusilla for-" Spike began, not seeing what was coming until it was too late.

"Sorry, my lovely, I can't let that happen." Drusilla said, having just delivered a serious blow to Spike. Falling unconscious to the floor, the stake skittered away loudly from his hand. Drusilla edged nearer to Buffy, who was still tightly chained to the wall, looking for all the world like a fish in a barrel.

"Get away from me, you bitch." Buffy snarled, prepared to fight until she died. Unfortunately, that might come all too soon.

"You're in my lovely's head. Swirling all about, changing everything…" Drusilla said distantly, waving her hands madly in the air once more. "Miss Edith says you've been naughty. I really ought to punish you for that…"

Chuckling, Drusilla edged nearer. Swiping at the Slayer, she caused blood to burst forth from various scratches. Ripping the chains from the wall, she threw Buffy to the ground and began to suck out her blood for all it was worth. Unsurprisingly, Slayer blood is worth a _lot_. Able to almost drain three-fourths of Buffy, she was about to finish her off when she spied something poking out of her own chest. It was a stake.

"Oh, my." she managed to say faintly, before bursting into a big pile of ash.

Rushing to Buffy, who was lying nearly dead on the ground, Spike grabbed her and sat her up in his lap. He could hear her pulse, but he grabbed her wrist just to be completely sure. He could both hear and feel it, but it was faint. Even with accelerated healing abilities, there was no doubt about it. If Spike didn't do something, and fast, she would die.

Grabbing Buffy, he ran across the room and put her down on his bed. Laying her out, he sat next to her and went to work quickly. He loved Buffy, and knew she would probably hate him for this, but damned if he was going to let Dru break his heart again, however inadvertently!

Biting his wrist, he held it up to Buffy's mouth and let his blood drip down her throat.

"Come _on, _Slayer. I need you to pull through, I need you to pull through!" he said urgently.

As his blood began to coagulate, he wiped it off onto Buffy's mouth and bit his wrist again. Buffy was coming around, a little bit. Moaning faintly, she sucked at Spike's wrist, slowly at first, then faster. Bringing her arms up, she pressed his wrist harder into his mouth and began to gnaw a little.

Spike couldn't help it. Though this was a really serious situation, the feel of Buffy biting his wrist, sucking the blood from him, was too much. Beginning to moan with pleasure, he grabbed her with his other hand, never separating their connection, and rocked her. Developing a rhythm, he clutched and groaned, she pressed and moaned. Turning her head to the side a bit, allowing his wrist to go with her, he bit her neck and sucked hard. Her blood tasted like nothing he'd ever had before, and he felt her blood entering him as his entered her. It was intimate, perhaps even more so than sex, and he could feel their essences swirling around together, becoming one, making a magic connection impossible to break short of death itself.

Just before Buffy fell dead against his arms, they shivered together, riding out a wave of pleasure from the mutual exchange.


	2. So It Begins

_Sorry for those who 'Story Alerted' this, I changed the ending...I just don't feel like Buffy would be so emotional all of a sudden. I think I'll build up to the Spuffy- but it _will_ come__! All reviews appreciated! _

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"Ugh." Buffy said. It was her first word, and pretty much described how she felt. Or…how she should feel. She was alert now, alert to the fact that she felt perfectly fine; in fact, she felt amazing. Opening her eyes she took an involuntary gasp of wonder. She could see everything.

When she was the slayer, she had enhanced vision, hearing, and definitely strength. But now, she could see _everything_. The dust motes swirling in the air, the most miniscule details on the wall across the room. And not only that- it seemed everything was better. She could sense things, hear the slightest things, like the earthworms tunneling into the dirt that surrounded the building she was in. Also, she could hear the definite absence of things. Such as heartbeats. One, in particular. Hers.

Sitting up, she sensed that she moved much faster. For a moment she was tempted to believe it all a setup- but why would someone want to enhance her slyer powers rather than weaken them? It couldn't be. Feeling her chest, she decided that she could neither feel nor hear the beat of her heart. It scared her, of course it did. When you spend every day having it drilled into you that no heartbeat, no pulse, equals dead or worse- well, what was she supposed to do with this?

Suddenly she heard footsteps, a door swinging open and crashing shut. More footsteps above her, and suddenly a door opened, and a pair of black boots appeared on top of the stairs.

"Spike?" she asked hesitantly. The last thing she knew, he had been threatening her to love him, or else he'd kill her. She knew it was him. She could feel it, feel her blood heat up as much as it could when he approached. She hadn't know that there was an absence to fill, but suddenly she felt whole.

"Yeah, it's me, luv." he said, descending the staircase. "How long you been awake?"

"About a minute and thirty-six seconds." she heard herself say. She hadn't even been keeping tabs on the time, but knew it was that long. He came fully into the room, putting down a paper bag he had onto a table. Striding over to Buffy, Spike put his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes.

"You're beautiful." he said simply.

She hated him, damn it! So why did it feel so good when he touched her? When he pulled away, the spots on her arms where he had touched them tingled.

"What did you do to me?" she asked him. She was still confused and disoriented, even after feeling so good when she woke up. He reached into the bag and pulled something out, tossing it to her.

"You'll need this, pet." he said, gauging her reaction.

It was blood. O Positive, according to the label on the sealed baggie. She had known, of course she had known. But it was different when someone knew you knew. Still, she had known she was a vampire since she had felt the distinct unnecessary-ness of breathing. Since she had woken up. But she needed it confirmed.

"You turned me, then?" she said, opening up the bag of O Positive. It was her non-reaction that scared Spike the most.

"Yeah." he said. "Sort of had to. Could feel the spark leaving you, leaving your body."

"You could have let me die."

"Nah. Couldn't have."

"Because you love me?"

"Yeah, somethin' like that."

Pausing with the blood in midair, Buffy looked at Spike.

"Where did you get this?" she asked, voice flat and emotionless.

"Hospital."

"Did you steal it?"

"Yeah."

"Okay." she said, drinking it down. He tossed her another.

"This isn't what I thought it would be like, you know." she admitted.

"Oh, no?" Spike asked, curious.

"No. I thought I would want to kill, that as soon as you went all vampy, you just forgot about everything you cared about." she said.

"Yeah, most of us do. Sometimes…" he said, then pointed to himself. "Sometimes not."

"Oh, yeah. You said you turned your mother- didn't want her to die." she said easily. Everything was of crystal clarity, her memory suddenly expansive.

"Yeah. I shouldn't have done. It wasn't her, what came back."

"I'm sorry." Buffy said, more emotion in her voice now. "I don't feel like I want to kill my mother anyway."

"Good, 'cos I wouldn't let you, anyway." he returned.

"Let me?"

"Yeah. You, vampire. Me, maker. If I really need to, I can control you."

"Oh, great. Now I'm gonna be a sex-slave to a lovelorn vampire."

"Don't say that." Spike growled. He came up to her and pulled her into a hug. "I won't make you do anything you don't want to. Tried that, nearly killed you."

"Oh. Well, good."

"Although…" he said slyly, leering at her. "Most makers have sexual relationships with their ch-"

Spike was cut off as Buffy's fist connected with his well-defined cheekbones.

"Or not." he said, on second thought.

"Yeah. Not quite yet." Buffy heard herself say and immediately backpedaled. If she had been human, she would have blushed. As it was, her face turned rather pale. "I mean...uh, oh I don't know. I want to say I hate you, 'cause you're a vamp, and all, but..."

Spike nodded as Buffy gestured to herself.

"So...what do we do now?" Buffy asked, at a loss.

"Well, we could always play kitten poker." he said good-naturedly. "Start gettin' you out into the world, without the temptation of tasty treats. Fine enough to kill demons, they taste horrible."

"Okay," she said, as much to her own surprise as to his. Then she added, "But we're going to have a serious talk about my case of the bumpies afterwards."

"Fine by me, luv." Spike said, simply glad she seemed to still be Buffy, more or less. Also, that she hadn't torn him limb-from-limb.


	3. Just A Little Bit

_For disclaimer, see chapter one._

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"Don't let him in, he's the one that kills demons!" said a green demon of some sort.

Spike had brought Buffy to her first 'demon bar' where it was easy for supernatural creatures to avoid humans and get, well, drunk. Not even bothering with the main bar, he headed to a room in the back, motioning for Buffy to follow. That was where she saw a poker table, complete with several demons and some cards. The table was full, however. They would need to wait.

"Get outta here." Spike said, grabbing the rude demon by his shirt and tossing him towards the door. He took the demon's chair and picked up his cards. "I'm in! Now…who's gonna advance me a tiny tabby?"

The rest of the demons groaned. Spike looked over to Buffy.

"Buffy, have-" Spike said, then broke off when he saw she wasn't there. Looking around the room, he knew she wasn't there either. Trying to feel her with his maker senses, he realized she was at least a block away already. It seemed she was using her full vampire speed…feeling that she would return, and knowing he could make her anyway, he decided to wait and see what she was up to. Then again, what if she killed a human? That twisty mind of hers could very well turn the blame onto him, and she would probably beat him up worse than Glory had.

On second thought, Spike threw down his cards and rushed out the door, mumbling a 'gotta go' as he left. Barreling out of the bar onto the street, he turned in the direction he could sense she had gone, running as fast as he could. Fearing he would have to call her back, he put on full speed until he found her, stopped outside of a pet shop.

"Buffy!" he called. "Get. Your. Arse. Back. Here. Now!"

Turning around to face Spike, he was astonished to see her arms full of little falls of fuzz.

"I thought you could use some kittens," she explained. "You 'splained the rules, but I saw you didn't have any kittens. I got you these!"

"Erm…thanks?" Spike said, taking the fluffy little kittens. Buffy came closer, and he smelled alcohol. "Wait, are you _drunk_?"

"What?" she said. "Tha's per..perpos..that's stupid! Just a lil bit."

"How the bloody hell did you get so drunk in the five minutes you've been away?" he asked, incredulous.

"I snuck out a couple'a bottles frum yer fridge, alright? Didn't look to see what they were, just drank 'em!" she told him, waving her arms about a bit.

"Why did you wanna get drunk in the first place?" Spike demanded. "Is it cos you're stuck with me as a maker or something?"

"It's cos I got stuck with a _maker_!" she shouted. "I'm a vampire slayer, turned _vampire! _What the hell am I supposed to do with that?"

Understanding her dilemma, Spike came up and hugged her.

"I'm sorry." he said quietly.

"Why'd you do it then?" Buffy inquired, not breaking the hug.

"Cos you would have died." he said.

"Why didn't you just let me die?" she asked. "After all, slayers have the life expectancy of a good bottle of apple juice! Wouldn't a been a big deal…"

"Buffy, it would have been a big deal to me. I couldn't live if I let you die. You're my everything, now." he said, even more quietly than before. It didn't matter, they both had vampire hearing.

Looking up, Buffy gazed into his eyes. Looking into a sparkling ocean of blue, she felt herself rise and let her lips meet his in a soft kiss. Pulling away after a few moments, she leaned down and moaned.

"I think I'm sobering up." she said. "It's horrible."

"Ah, been there. It'll pass eventually." Spike said, smiling at her quoting him. "In the meantime, what are we supposed to do with these kittens?"

"What else?" she replied. "Play poker!"


	4. I Kind of Like You Sometimes

_Disclaimer on Chapter One! :)_

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"That was kind of fun." Buffy said as she and Spike swaggered out of the bar where they had been playing poker. Their arms were completely full of kittens, baskets and baskets of them. "But I don't know what we'll do with all these kittens."

"Maybe I could give them to Red, witches like cats, right?" Spike offered.

"I wish I could give them to Willow." Buffy sighed. "I bet she would find really good homes for them. She's so caring, not like stupid, cold-hearted Buffy."

"What's gotten into you, Sla- Buffy?" Spike asked, concerned.

"That. That's what's gotten into me! I'm a vampire vampire slayer! What am I supposed to do? How can I keep going on? I don't wanna kill people!" she threw back. "I wanna be good…"

Still feeling a little of the after-effects from the two bottles of whiskey she'd chugged in about five minutes, she slurred a little.

"Damn this stupid vampire conshtitushun," she said. "I don't feel very drunk any more."

"Yeah, well. Two bottles of whiskey is still gonna keep a vamp pretty drunk for a while, you know." Spike said. Of course he knew, he pretty much always had a bottle of something or other in his hand.

"Why do you try to get drunk all the time, Shpike?" Buffy sighed.

"You," he answered with brutal honesty. "You make me feel…well, you make me feel like I need two bottles of whiskey, myself."

"Oh." Buffy said. "I'm shorry, Shpike."

"Are you?" he answered. "Cos I know you probably feel bad morally, but do you care enough about me to actually feel sorry?"

"I didn't used to." she replied.

"Yeah, well- wait, what?" he asked.

"Well, I used to hate you, right? And I told myself that it was 'cause you're a vampire. But now _I'm _a vampire, and I just don't really think that argument works anymore. So then I figured I hate you 'cause you're evil, but I don't think you really are. And _then_ I said I hated you 'cause you're all cocky and stuff, but really, I think that just makes you sexy." she said, and Spike noted a distinct absence of slurry-ness. "I mean, not that I spend my time thinking about your awesome chest or how hot that stupid bleached hair is, but…I'm just gonna shut up now."

"So…you kind of like me?" he said hopefully.

"Sometimes." Buffy replied with a smirk to rival Spike's own.

"I'll take that, luv." Spike said softly. "I'll take that for now."

"Good." Buffy said. "Now get me home, 'cause I think I'm still a wee bit drunk."

_Home_. Spike thought. _I like the sound of that. Home…_


	5. That Stupid Cocky Streak

_Disclaimer on Chapter One! _

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"Mmmn." mumbled Buffy. "This is pretty nice."

"Yeah." Spike said. Buffy had allowed him to take her back to the crypt. He'd slept with her; literally. They fell asleep almost as soon as they got in, and Spike was happy that she let him hold her. Waking up to see her blonde head tucked into his neck, he felt amazed that she had been so calm about the whole vampire thing. In fact, it seemed that now she was much nicer towards him and even liked him…sometimes.

"What should we do today?" Buffy asked, still tired.

"Well, we should stay here in the crypt, luv." he smirked. "Unless of course, you fancy being fried to a nice crisp."

"Oh, yeah. Crap." she said. "I can't ever see the sun again…I'm really getting annoyed with this whole vampire thing."

"Yeah, well. You wouldn't have been able to go out again anyways, if I hadn't turned you."

"What happened to Drusilla?" Buffy asked. "You never told me anything except that you turned me."

"Oh. I guess I didn't. Dru got loose; hit me. I dunno if you remember that or not." Spike said, noting that she nodded. "Well, I went down like a sack of bricks. I was out for a minute, but it was long enough that she got to you…she ripped your chains out of the wall, I guess. She was sucking out your blood. I got up and grabbed the stake in time, and I…dusted her. Then I realized you were gonna die, and I turned you."

"You killed Drusilla?" Buffy asked. "Wow. I mean, I know you said you would, but wow. I never realized how much it meant, but now that I'm all vampy, I can see it means a lot. 'Cause even if I don't particularly like you, I'd still be pissed if someone tried to kill you. And, you loved her. For like a hundred years…"

"Yeah. That was Dru. My dark angel…saved me from mediocrity, that one did." he replied.

"Spike, you aren't- would never have been- mediocre. Even if you got a boring job and a wife and spat out some babies and died." she said, then blinked. "Wow. That's quite a picture. I just can't see little Spike-babies running around…"

"Yeah, me neither. That's why I loved bein' a vampire." he said. "I could do whatever I liked…forever."

"So." Buffy said. "I have a question for you."

"And what would that be, luv?" he asked back.

"Okay, I know your human name was William. But what was your last name?" she inquired.

"Uh, I don't remember." he replied, too hastily.

"Bull. I happen to know now just exactly how much a vampire can remember…oh, yeah. _Everything_. Spill."

"Alright, alright. It was…Pratt. William Pratt, okay?" he said. "Are we done making a bloody fool out of me?"

"Spike." Buffy said, ignoring his question. "I have another question."

"Yeah?" Spike asked, annoyed. He figured it would be a question about Cecily or one of his bloody poems.

"Did you taste my blood?"

"Oh. Er, yeah. Dru nearly drained you, but I had to finish in order to turn you…" he answered nervously.

"Good." she said. "I'm glad you got to taste it before it was gone."

"It's not gone, pet." he said, motioning towards himself.

"Oh. Ooooh. It's inside you. Okay. So…does that mean you gave me your blood?" she asked.

"Yep. Two-way street, turning somebody." he replied.

"Oh. Okay. That's just kind of weird. Like a blood transfusion, but all the blood in your body."

"Buffy?" Spike asked. "What do you remember about the night I turned you?"

"Well, I remember Drusilla taking you down." she answered. "I remember her scratching me with her nails. I was kind of out of it after that, but I remember you saying something about pulling through. And then I remember something so tasty. I could feel it giving me strength and so I just kept drinking." she paused, realizing something. "Oh. Your blood, huh? Then I remember it felt really, really good for a minute and my whole body was all swirly. And then…nothing until I woke up."

"Hmm." Spike mumbled. She remembered more than he thought. "Yeah, I kind of bit your neck as you were biting my wrist. It felt really, really good. Better than when Dru turned me, that's for bloody sure. She ravaged my neck and then gave me the smallest amount of blood she could and still turn me. That's why she can't call to me like I can to you."

"Oh, yeah, you mentioned something about that. What does that feel like?" she asked him.

"I haven't tried it on you yet, and any minions I made I always did like Drusilla." he answered slowly. "So, let's try it out. It'll be new for both of us."

"Okay…" Buffy said, getting out of the bed. "Should I, like, walk to the other side of the room or something?"

"Sure, might help." Spike told her.

"Okay!" she called once she was over on the opposite side of the basement-thingy below Spike's crypt. "I'm ready."

"Alright, luv." Spike said back, knowing she could hear him. He focused on her, and let his feelings come up to the surface. God, she looked like an angel, even as a vampire. Not like Dru, but like a real angel, all flowing golden hair and bright eyes. He willed her to come to him, let his blood call out to hers in need.

Suddenly feeling all warm and tingly, Buffy couldn't help but draw closer to Spike. It was like something about him called to her…as she neared him, she took him in. His gorgeous hair, his perfect body, his blue eyes, twinkling with love. For _her_. A few days ago she would have been disgusted, but now she simply felt awe that this amazing man was captivated by her.

When Buffy finally came and stood in front of Spike, it seemed the most natural thing in the world to slip her arms around him and kiss him softly.

"Well," he said, a little stunned at the whole process. "If you're gonna act like that every time, I ought to call you more often!"

"Fine by me." Buffy said without thinking, then quickly stepped away. "I mean, I, um, well…oh, whatever."

"A fella could get used to rendering women speechless," Spike said cockily. "Feels kinda nice."

"Ooh, there's that stupid cocky streak again!" shouted Buffy.

"If I'm not mistaken, luv," Spike whispered in her ear from behind her. "You find it pretty sexy."

"Pshh…yeah, well…" Buffy said weakly, before giving up. "Yeah."

"I'll have to keep that in mind, won't I?" Spike said before drawing away.

Feeling annoyed that she was annoyed he backed off, she grabbed a blood from the fridge and ripped it open.

"How long until dark?" she asked Spike.

"Not too long. Why?" he replied.

"I think it's time to test myself out." she said back to him, looking forward to an evening of beating up demons. "I really need a good fight."


	6. Xander's Self Confidence Plummets

_Disclaimer in Chapter One. _

_A/N: Oh, boy, was this chapter ever fun to write. Get ready to watch Xander practically have a heart attack! _

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"This is gonna be _fun_." Buffy said as she and Spike left the crypt, just minutes after sunset.

"Whoa, luv. You're a pretty bloodthirsty vamp, aren't you?" Spike asked, amazed and kind of turned on at how hot Buffy looked when she wanted to kill.

"Only for demons," she said. "Only for demons."

"Yeah, well good thing we live in a sodding cemetery. Bound to be some demons runnin' around the place somewhere." he replied, ecstatic when Buffy didn't even blink at the phrase 'we live'.

"Yeah." she agreed. "A very good thing."

Prowling in the darkness, she sensed something near…with the wind blowing away from her, however, she couldn't smell what. Jumping out from the tree she was hiding behind, she brandished a stake, prepared to kill whatever demon or vampire she saw. What she did see stopped her in her tracks.

"Buffy?" Willow asked disbelievingly. "Is that you?"

"Buffy? What about Buf- oh my god, Buffy!" Xander said, having been busy staking a vampire, then turning around. Hearing voices, Spike quickly walked up behind Buffy and discreetly put an arm around her to keep her from killing her friends. Just in case. Although, if she went for the Whelp, maybe his hand would slip a little…nah. She'd just get mad at him later.

However discreetly Spike thought he'd put his arm around her, Xander still noticed.

"Buffy?" he repeated. "What are you doing here with _Spike_? You've been gone like three days now."

"Yeah," chimed in Willow. "We were getting really worried!"

"I…um…oh, my god, you guys, it was the craziest thing! Uh…Glory kidnapped me and Spike!" Buffy said, blurting out the first thing that entered her mind. "We didn't tell her anything though, and we managed to get away."

"Oh my god!" Xander yelled, Spike's closeness to Buffy momentarily forgotten. Racing forward, he caught her up in a hug. "I can't believe it! None of us knew what had happened to you. I'm so glad you're okay!"

Tensing, Spike nervously watched as Buffy hugged Xander back. After a moment, he started to get annoyed.

"That's enough, _whelp_. The slayer kind of has to heal from her injuries." he said, making up a plausible excuse to get Xander off his…er, off of Buffy.

"You can't tell me what to do, Captain Peroxide." Xander said, then stepped away from Buffy. "I am sorry though. I didn't think enough to realize you were probably injured."

"Um, that's okay Xander. I think my 'injuries' " she said, looking pointedly at Spike. "Are mostly healed anyway."

"That's good news." Willow said. "Dawn and Giles will be so glad you're back! And your mom, too. She was so worried!"

"Er, yeah." Buffy said. An awkward silence would have descended if it weren't for a horde of about six demons suddenly surrounding them.

Spinning into action, Buffy felt better than she had ever felt before, with the possible exception of drinking Spike's blood. Not noticing how fast she was going, she staked two demons in rapid succession, then whirled around and staked a third. Kicking two into the ground, she staked them both as well, leaving just one left. As it ran for it's life, she took a flying leap, grabbing it's head and ripping it off with brute strength. The whole thing took about thirty or forty seconds. Turning around, she noticed everyone staring at her dumbfounded, Spike included.

"Er…I think Glory might have tried to weaken me, but it backfired and actually made me stronger or something," she said by way of explanation, shrugging and holding her hands up. "I don't really know what happened. I was kind of out of it."

"Okay…" Xander said slowly. "I think maybe we should go talk to Giles."

"Yeah," Willow said weakly. "That's probably of the good."

Turning around and heading back to Xander's car, he and Willow couldn't help but notice how Spike slipped an arm comfortably around Buffy and the two talked quietly, holding back from the others a bit.

"Bloody hell, Buffy." Spike said. "I think that was the sexiest thing I've ever seen."

"Really?" Buffy said, brightening. What girl could resist a compliment like that? Spike was over a century old, after all. He had to have seen some pretty kinky stuff. Feeling annoyed by thinking about all the stuff Spike might have seen, she was surprised to also feel…jealousy?

"Of course." Spike replied truthfully. "I think I pretty much wanted to take you right there in cemetery, Red and the Whelp be damned."

Giving a giggle of surprise, Buffy wrapped her arm around Spike's waist as well.

"You'll just have to wait for that, mister." she said before poking the tip of his nose. He play-nipped at her finger and she was surprised to find her vampire face come out to play. Making a little growl, she play-nipped back, before realizing they were almost to Xander's car. Smoothly shaking her demon visage away, she got into the backseat with Spike. She didn't want her friends to know she was a vampire. Not yet, anyway, if ever.

Constantly looking into the rear-view mirror, the lines in Xander's forehead multiplied as he saw little gestures here and there. Buffy, picking a bit of lint off Spike's shirt, Spike stretching his arm out behind Buffy, Spike playing with Buffy's hair! The touchable, soft-looking hair Xander had always wanted to play with, but didn't. Willow gave a shriek of surprise when Xander nearly crashed the car.

"Would you look at the bloody road instead of me and the bloody Slayer, Whelp?" Spike demanded. "I'm getting worried about losing my unlife, and I will not die because of your bad driving skills!"

Grudgingly paying more attention to the road, Xander's feeling of unease grew all the way to the Magic Box.

In the backseat, Spike was having fun watching Xander in the mirror and seeing if he could sneak in little kisses with Buffy. Buffy, of course, was annoyed with him, but also silently giggling. Xander had always been over-protective of her and it was kind of fun to get away with kissing Spike right under his nose. Little did they know, Willow was watching the whole thing out of the mirror on the side of the car, eyes widening when she saw Spike kiss Buffy, and practically jump out of the sockets when Buffy giggled instead of punching him.

Oh, yes, something was very wrong here, Willow thought as she shuddered. _Very wrong. _


	7. Something's Different About You

_Disclaimer in Chapter One. _

_A/N: Oh, boy, was this chapter ever fun to write. Get ready to watch Xander practically have a heart attack! _

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_

"This is gonna be _fun_." Buffy said as she and Spike left the crypt, just minutes after sunset.

"Whoa, luv. You're a pretty bloodthirsty vamp, aren't you?" Spike asked, amazed and kind of turned on at how hot Buffy looked when she wanted to kill.

"Only for demons," she said. "Only for demons."

"Yeah, well good thing we live in a sodding cemetery. Bound to be some demons runnin' around the place somewhere." he replied, ecstatic when Buffy didn't even blink at the phrase 'we live'.

"Yeah." she agreed. "A very good thing."

Prowling in the darkness, she sensed something near…with the wind blowing away from her, however, she couldn't smell what. Jumping out from the tree she was hiding behind, she brandished a stake, prepared to kill whatever demon or vampire she saw. What she did see stopped her in her tracks.

"Buffy?" Willow asked disbelievingly. "Is that you?"

"Buffy? What about Buf- oh my god, Buffy!" Xander said, having been busy staking a vampire, then turning around. Hearing voices, Spike quickly walked up behind Buffy and discreetly put an arm around her to keep her from killing her friends. Just in case. Although, if she went for the Whelp, maybe his hand would slip a little…nah. She'd just get mad at him later.

However discreetly Spike thought he'd put his arm around her, Xander still noticed.

"Buffy?" he repeated. "What are you doing here with _Spike_? You've been gone like three days now."

"Yeah," chimed in Willow. "We were getting really worried!"

"I…um…oh, my god, you guys, it was the craziest thing! Uh…Glory kidnapped me and Spike!" Buffy said, blurting out the first thing that entered her mind. "We didn't tell her anything though, and we managed to get away."

"Oh my god!" Xander yelled, Spike's closeness to Buffy momentarily forgotten. Racing forward, he caught her up in a hug. "I can't believe it! None of us knew what had happened to you. I'm so glad you're okay!"

Tensing, Spike nervously watched as Buffy hugged Xander back. After a moment, he started to get annoyed.

"That's enough, _whelp_. The slayer kind of has to heal from her injuries." he said, making up a plausible excuse to get Xander off his…er, off of Buffy.

"You can't tell me what to do, Captain Peroxide." Xander said, then stepped away from Buffy. "I am sorry though. I didn't think enough to realize you were probably injured."

"Um, that's okay Xander. I think my 'injuries' " she said, looking pointedly at Spike. "Are mostly healed anyway."

"That's good news." Willow said. "Dawn and Giles will be so glad you're back! And your mom, too. She was so worried!"

"Er, yeah." Buffy said. An awkward silence would have descended if it weren't for a horde of about six demons suddenly surrounding them.

Spinning into action, Buffy felt better than she had ever felt before, with the possible exception of drinking Spike's blood. Not noticing how fast she was going, she staked two demons in rapid succession, then whirled around and staked a third. Kicking two into the ground, she staked them both as well, leaving just one left. As it ran for it's life, she took a flying leap, grabbing it's head and ripping it off with brute strength. The whole thing took about thirty or forty seconds. Turning around, she noticed everyone staring at her dumbfounded, Spike included.

"Er…I think Glory might have tried to weaken me, but it backfired and actually made me stronger or something," she said by way of explanation, shrugging and holding her hands up. "I don't really know what happened. I was kind of out of it."

"Okay…" Xander said slowly. "I think maybe we should go talk to Giles."

"Yeah," Willow said weakly. "That's probably of the good."

Turning around and heading back to Xander's car, he and Willow couldn't help but notice how Spike slipped an arm comfortably around Buffy and the two talked quietly, holding back from the others a bit.

"Bloody hell, Buffy." Spike said. "I think that was the sexiest thing I've ever seen."

"Really?" Buffy said, brightening. What girl could resist a compliment like that? Spike was over a century old, after all. He had to have seen some pretty kinky stuff. Feeling annoyed by thinking about all the stuff Spike might have seen, she was surprised to also feel…jealousy?

"Of course." Spike replied truthfully. "I think I pretty much wanted to take you right there in cemetery, Red and the Whelp be damned."

Giving a giggle of surprise, Buffy wrapped her arm around Spike's waist as well.

"You'll just have to wait for that, mister." she said before poking the tip of his nose. He play-nipped at her finger and she was surprised to find her vampire face come out to play. Making a little growl, she play-nipped back, before realizing they were almost to Xander's car. Smoothly shaking her demon visage away, she got into the backseat with Spike. She didn't want her friends to know she was a vampire. Not yet, anyway, if ever.

Constantly looking into the rear-view mirror, the lines in Xander's forehead multiplied as he saw little gestures here and there. Buffy, picking a bit of lint off Spike's shirt, Spike stretching his arm out behind Buffy, Spike playing with Buffy's hair! The touchable, soft-looking hair Xander had always wanted to play with, but didn't. Willow gave a shriek of surprise when Xander nearly crashed the car.

"Would you look at the bloody road instead of me and the bloody Slayer, Whelp?" Spike demanded. "I'm getting worried about losing my unlife, and I will not die because of your bad driving skills!"

Grudgingly paying more attention to the road, Xander's feeling of unease grew all the way to the Magic Box.

In the backseat, Spike was having fun watching Xander in the mirror and seeing if he could sneak in little kisses with Buffy. Buffy, of course, was annoyed with him, but also silently giggling. Xander had always been over-protective of her and it was kind of fun to get away with kissing Spike right under his nose. Little did they know, Willow was watching the whole thing out of the mirror on the side of the car, eyes widening when she saw Spike kiss Buffy, and practically jump out of the sockets when Buffy giggled instead of punching him.

Oh, yes, something was very wrong here, Willow thought as she shuddered. _Very wrong. _


	8. Leather Pants

_Disclaimer on Chapter One. Reviews much appreciated, craved, and listened to! (subtle hint) ;D_

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"Okay." Buffy muttered under her breath. "I'll need that, but I don't really need that…"

She and Spike were in the dorm room she shared with Willow, getting some essentials like books and clothes for the crypt.

Buffy opened up her jewelry box, looking to see if she wanted to take any of that with her yet. Digging through it, a familiar ring greeted her in the corner of the box, under some bangles.

"Oh." Buffy said, grabbing and examining it. "I'd forgotten all about this!"

Putting it on her ring finger, she wiggled her hand and batted her eyelashes.

"Aww, honey. We never did figure out if we should put 'Spike' or 'William the Bloody' on our invitations!" she said, putting on the moony voice she had used when she and Spike had been magicked into thinking they were engaged.

"Mmn. That ring suits you, luv. You should keep it." he said, grabbing her hand and kissing it while chuckling. Such a gesture from the 'Big Bad' charmed Buffy to her emerald-colored toenails. When he turned around to grab some of the clothes Buffy had mentioned wanting to bring, she took the opportunity to allow a smile out.

"Okay, Spike. I think that's all we really need for now." she said, knowing that she'd need to take stock of how much room she'd get in the crypt for her stuff before she took much over there.

"Okay, pet." he said, grabbing the bag they'd filled with her stuff. He put an arm around her, unable to contain his giddy feelings. "You know, Buffy, I'm really glad you decided to move in with me."

"Oh, yeah, well…thanks for letting me." she said softly as they walked out of the dorms.

"Hey," he said, turning her head gently to look at him. "You know you're always welcome, right?"

"I do now." she said, sparing a smile.

"God, you're beautiful." Spike said as they walked along. "That moon really brings out the sexiness in your…well, in your everything, I s'ppose."

"You're not too bad yourself," Buffy said, taking a good look at him. "You've got that whole bad-boy thing going on, and your eyes are beautiful…plus, your accent is pretty sexy, itself."

"I knew I'd find the real reason you liked me," Spike joked. "You just wanted me for my voice!"

As Buffy laughed, the moon shone over them, dousing them both in silvery light. Spike looked at her in wonderment, feeling incredibly lucky that she was in some unbreakable way, his.

When the two of them finally reached the crypt a while later, several jokes had been shared, a few stories had been told, one demon had been beheaded, and there had been one soft kiss. Entering the mausoleum and walking into it's lower half, Buffy put her stuff down and began to find homes for it all. Making the bed, she smiled to herself; it had been quite nice waking up in Spike's arms, knowing that he'd simply held her all night- or, more accurately, day.

Having found a home for everything she had brought, Buffy crept up behind Spike and threw her arms around him, causing him to start.

"You wanna go kill some more demons?" Buffy asked, excitement flavoring her voice.

"Sure, pet." Spike said. "As long as you promise to wear those leather pants I packed earlier…"

A little while later, Buffy and Spike patrolled the graveyard. A few demons rushed at them, and Spike dispatched one while Buffy staked the other two. As another demon came barreling towards Buffy a little later, Spike simply watched his love fight it off. She was so graceful, yet had such brute strength! Twisting and turning in the air as she brought down her stake onto it's heart, Buffy moved with vampiric speed.

Hearing the sound of clapping as the demon's carcass hit the ground, Buffy turned around to see Spike leaning on a headstone, applauding.

"You could help out, you know." she complained, going over to sit next to him.

"I'm pretty sure you had it under control, luv." Spike said, raising an eyebrow.

"Am I?" Buffy asked seriously. "Your love?"

"Well, yeah. Didn't my tying you up and forcing you to accept my feelings give you a hint?" he asked sarcastically. His tone then became both soft and serious. "Yeah, I love you, Buffy. I've been trying to figure you out ever since I met you. Even when I went away, it didn't help. That's why Dru left me, you know. She said you were in my head, and she didn't like it."

"Oh." Buffy said softly. "Okay then. I don't think I love you, Spike. Not yet, anyway. But I really, really don't hate you. In fact…I'm pretty sure I like you more than just sometimes."

A few minutes later, Buffy lay on the ground with Spike, minus the leather pants.


	9. Weetabix In Your Blood?

_Disclaimer on Chapter One, reviews appreciated! BTW, if anyone is wondering, Xaiofan is a Chinese name meaning 'little ordinary,' which is exactly what she is..._

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"Um, wow." Buffy said when she woke up late the next day. She saw that Spike was awake, and holding her in his arms. Lying together in their bed, Buffy wondered how things could move so fast. After all, wasn't it just four days ago when she had told him that he couldn't love her because he didn't have feelings? A lot had changed in four days, she mused.

"Wow, what, luv?" Spike asked her as she stretched.

"Oh, just that even with vampire healing, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna be sore for about a week." she replied, winking at him. "I'm gonna go get us some blood."

"Mmmn, if you must." Spike mumbled, letting go of her.

Getting off their bed, Buffy moved to the fridge and grabbed a few packs of blood and two mugs. Completely unabashed by their lack of clothing, Spike got up and walked over to the television, turning it onto one of his favorite programs. Noting that they were getting low on blood and Weetabix, Buffy grabbed a piece of paper and started to write down a list of things they needed.

Taking the blood and putting it in the mugs, Buffy popped them into the microwave (Lord knows how Spike had gotten that to work down here, probably the same way he had gotten the T.V. to get reception…) and set the timer. Walking over to the couch, she ran her hands through Spike's hair.

"Yum," she said. "I love it when your hair's all mussed up like this."

"Oh, yeah?" Spike said, looking up. "Maybe I should wear it like that more often."

"Yeah." Buffy said, kissing the top of his head. "I'd like that."

Hearing the microwave beep after a minute, she rushed back and grabbed the two mugs of blood, heading to the couch and sitting down, still sans the clothes. Handing one of the mugs to Spike, she smiled.

"Careful," she cautioned. "It's still hot."

"Thanks, luv." he said, taking a sip then smiling. "Ninety-eight point six degrees. You've heated this stuff up in there exactly once and you still made it better than I've managed to do in the entire time I've been here."

"Yeah, well, that's a girlfriend's duty- know how to work her boyfriend's appliances better than him." she said, smiling too.

"Is that what you are?" Spike asked. "My girlfriend? Cos I could definitely live with that."

"After last night?" Buffy asked. "Yep. You are totally my boyfriend. There is no way I'd do that stuff with someone I couldn't keep around."

Spike took another sip of blood and grinned when Buffy scooted closer to him on the couch and took his hand in hers.

"So," she asked. "Explain the show to me."

"Well," he said, starting in. "It's called 'Passions,' yeah? And this guy right here…"

Buffy leaned back and listened to him talk animatedly. A girl could really get used to this, she decided- once she got past putting Weeatabix in her boyfriend's blood.

After the show was over, Buffy got up and walked around to stretch herself out. She wasn't kidding about being sore; she felt really worn out. Well, maybe not too worn out, she conceded when she felt Spike's hands kneading her shoulders. Turning around, she kissed him and ran her hands through his hair once again.

Several rounds of furniture-breaking fun later, it was dark outside, and Buffy put on some clothes in preparation to go demon-hunting. Spike did the same. What she hadn't counted on was hearing footsteps coming straight to the crypt's door. Buffy and Spike both went to the upper level to see who could be calling on them.

Xander suddenly burst through the door, yelling "SPIKE!" He stopped when he saw both Spike and Buffy standing there, looking pretty much like they just had sex. Spike stepped forward, hair all mussed up and his belt not fastened yet.

"Yeah, what do you want, Whelp?" Spike asked, taking out a pack of cigarettes and lighting up.

"Well, I was going to ask if you knew where Buffy was, since you two seemed so pally-pally yesterday…but I can see perfectly well where she is now." Xander said, tone practically dripping icicles.

"Uh, Xander," Buffy started, clearing her throat. "Why were you looking for me?"

"Well, Buffy," he said, in the same tone. "Probably because you've been missing all day? Dawn and Willow were freaking out again."

"Oh, great." Buffy said. "I guess I better go find them."

"Since when are you so annoyed with talking to Dawn and Willow, Buffy?" Xander asked, then amended his question. "Well, Willow anyway."

"I'm not," Buffy lied. "I just wish that there was no reason for their concern."

"Oh." said Xander, visibly relaxing. "I guess that makes sense."

"Yeah," Buffy said, sighing. It was actually true; she didn't want there to be any reason they ought to be worried for her, or anybody else. "Let's go, then. Xander, we'll meet up with you, okay? I need to…grab some weapons."

"Um, okay. Meet up at the Magic Box in twenty minutes?" Xander asked.

"Yeah, see you then." was the reply.

"Okay." he said. "Oh, and Buffster, be careful, okay?"

"Will do." Buffy said back.

As soon as he left, Buffy sighed and plopped down on the couch.

"I so need to tell them the truth." she said, already exhausted at lying to her friends all the time.

"So tell them." came a soft, smooth voice from by her ear. Gently, she felt something graze her neck and realized it was Spike's teeth. Feeling involuntary shivers, she pulled away.

"Spike, if you keep doing that, we will never make it to the shop." Buffy said, rather reluctantly.

"So?" Spike breathed. "What's the bloody big deal with going there anyways?"

"Dawn." Buffy said, but it was enough.

"Ah, I s'ppose you're right." her boyfriend said sadly. "Quite fond of the little bit, don't want her to worry."

"Exactumundo," Buffy replied, hauling herself up and grabbing some stakes before heading out the door with Spike.

Later, at the magic shop, everyone had something to keep them busy; Dawn was holding some scented candles and looking at them absently. Willow was flicking through a book, along with Giles and Tara. Anya was counting money from the till. All were worried about their friend. The door opened and the bell rang.

"Xander!" Anya cried in relief. "You're back!"

"Yup." he said. "I found Buffy. She ought to be back soon, I left just before her."

"Uh, Xander." Willow interrupted. "Buffy's already back."

"Yeah." Tara piped up. "She and Spike got here about five minutes ago. We were worried about you!"

"Wait, how did she-" Xander started, then shook his head. "Look, I'm pretty sure that somebody's been following me. I saw something all the way back at the cemetery and I think it was trailing the car."

"Hey, guys-" Buffy began, coming out of the store room with Spike. She was interrupted when the door flew open, this time threatening to snap off at its hinges. A young girl with waist-length black hair and raven-colored eyes held her pose before shouting something that made everybody freeze.

"I am Xiaofan, the vampire slayer!"


	10. He Sorta Saved My Life

_Hey, author here. I just wanted to say thanks for all the story alerts/ favorites! Leave me a review, and I'll mention you in the next chapter's A/N. :)_

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"You're the what, now?" Buffy asked incredulously, raising an eyebrow.

"Good Lord, not _again_." Giles moaned, placing his head in his hands.

"I am Xiaofan, the vampire slayer. And I am looking for the two vampires who came in earlier; I thought perhaps they could provide me with some assistance in identifying the fiend I came here to stop."

"The two vampires?" Xander asked. "Well, Spike's one, but who's the other? Somebody must be hiding in here!"

"No. This one," she said, pointing at Spike, then allowed her finger to trail to Buffy. "And this one."

"Buffy, look out!" Willow cried. "There must be a vampire behind you!"

"Uh, you guys…" Buffy said quietly, clearing her throat. "There's kind of something I have to tell you…"

"What?" said Tara, Giles, Xander, Willow, Anya and Dawn.

"I…well, um…that is to say, I…" Buffy stammered, trying to get it out.

"Good heavens, Buffy. It's not as if you died or something. Spit it out." Giles said, unnerved by his usually strong Slayer's inability to tell them what it was.

"I'm kind of a vampire now." she blurted out, forcing her mouth to say the words. There was a silence.

"Okay, Buffy. That's a pretty good one!" Xander said as he burst out laughing. "What's really going on?"

Buffy, fed up with Xander and his demeaning attitude, grabbed a stake and hurtled it at him, aiming it precisely to catch his shirt and pin him to the wall.

"Oh, crap." Xander said, turning pale at how easily Buffy could have killed him.

"You're a what?" Giles asked again, taking his glasses off and cleaning them, as if perhaps his foggy glasses had made him mishear. "I'm sure you didn't say 'vampire'. That would be quite impossible."

"What's so bloody impossible about it?" Spike asked in disbelief at how these people would make their mind do back flips not to hear what they'd just heard. "You drain her, you give her some blood, wait a day and keep her out of the sun. Instant sodding vampire!"

"_You_." Xander said, pulling the stake out of the wall and rushing at Spike with it. "_You_ did this."

Before Spike even had a chance to do anything, Buffy stepped in front of him and sent Xander flying.

"You _idiot_!" she hissed. "Be careful, you could have staked Spike!"

"That was kind of the general idea." Dawn piped up, across the room. Spike looked at her, hurt. He'd thought the little bit liked him.

"Yeah, okay." Buffy said. "Spike turned me. But do you wanna know why?"

"Because he's a bloodthirsty fiend?" Willow asked, the words coming out strangely in her small voice. "But wait…how could he hurt you? Did the chip stop working?"

"No." Buffy said. "Drusilla drained me."

Silence.

"Spike saw that I was almost dead and gave me some of his blood, okay? Would you rather me be alive but dead, or just dead?" Buffy asked. "He saved my life…kinda."

"Oh, Buffy!" Tara said, always the one who didn't instantly judge anyone. "I think it's great that he saved your life- kind of. I'm really glad you didn't die…sort of!"

"Yeah," Willow said, bolstered by her significant other's opinion. "At least it makes sense of why you two have been so buddy-buddy lately. We kind of thought you were having sex or something."

"Might as well tell them the whole truth." Buffy muttered, knowing no one could hear her but Spike. Noting his nod, she continued in a louder voice. "Well, we're kind of going out."

"Who?" Xander asked, slowly getting up from where he'd kit the candle display in the corner.

"Me and Spike." Buffy answered.

"You and Spike are doing what?" he asked.

"Dating." she answered, getting tired already.

"Who's dating?" Xander asked.

"Ugh!" Buffy huffed. Did these people _never listen_? She decided to prove she liked Spike. Grabbing him by the front of his long leather duster, she yanked him to her and kissed him furiously, hands running through his hair and putting their bodies as close together as she could. He caught on fast and returned her enthusiasm. Finally breaking away after a minute, Buffy stared everyone in the eye before talking again. "I. Am. Spike's. Girlfriend. Got it?"

"What is going on here?" Xaiofan asked suspiciously. "Who are these vampires?"

"Listen. I've done the whole 'meet the replacement' thing before. Twice, actually. It's really getting boring by now, okay?" Buffy asked, striding closer to the new Slayer. "I was the Slayer. I just got turned into a vampire four days ago. I have no idea _what_ the hell I am now, but it seems to me like I've got vampire-enhanced Slayer strength. I still kill demons; I think I'm still the Slayer. Understood, wannabe?"

"You cannot be the Slayer." the girl said resentfully. " _I_ am the Slayer."

Buffy whirled around, grabbing the girl and shoving her into the ground, head against the floor.

"Think again." Buffy whispered into her ear before allowing the girl up. Sensing the stake hurtling through the air, Buffy caught it without even turning around. She looked at it curiously.

"Oh my god, Kendra much? Did you name your stake Mr. Pointy, too?" she said, thinking about the African Slayer who she had met years ago. "Cos that's already been done, you know."

"Who is Mr. Pointy?" asked Xaiofan in that stilted accent of hers. "Can he tell me about this hell goddess I was sent here to stop?"

Buffy halted and turned around, slowly.

"You were sent here to what?" she asked, in front of the girl in the blink of an eye, literally. Xiaofan answered while everyone was busy staring at how fast Buffy had just gotten over to the girl; even Spike looked astonished.

"I was sent here to stop a hell goddess. I believe her name is Glorificus." the new Slayer answered.

"They sent _you_?" Buffy asked disbelievingly. "Are you kidding? That's a suicide mission!"

"I am prepared to die if it will-" the Chinese girl began.

"Shut _up _about the whole 'dying-to-save-the-world' crap, okay? I will not let you die." Buffy snarled, looking every bit a vampire. "I don't want anybody to die except Glory."

"But it's my duty as a-"

"Slayer. Yeah. I'm pretty much one of the longest-living Slayers; don't get all speech-y on me, kay?" Buffy said tiredly.

"I have seen you before- Buffy Summers?" Xiaofan asked after looking at Buffy's features for a moment. "I have seen you in my dreams…"

"Oh? I used to get those dreams, too. What was I doing?" Buffy asked, veering off track.

"You were…" Xiaofan mumbled, trying to word it tactfully but failing. "You were having sex with a vampire; Angel, I think you called him."

"You _saw _that?" Buffy asked, shocked. There were so many other things she could have been seen doing, like saving the world! "Oh god…"

"I have seen other things." the new Slayer said. "You are the one who comes up the most in my dreams."

"What other stuff?" Buffy growled. This could be bad…

"I saw you getting sketches from him; proving he was in your room. I saw you act out some kind of ghostly play with him. And I saw you kill him." the girl answered. Buffy sank slowly to the floor.

"Ah…crap." she said, running a hand through her long blonde hair. "I never had such…focused Slayer dreams."

"Yes, every time I sleep I see you behind my eyelids." Xiaofan answered.

"Okay, getting some seriously icky mental pictures here, guys." Dawn said petulantly.

"You're not the only one getting…pictures." Xander said, one eye kind of twitching.

"Xander," Buffy said, standing up and going over to him. "SNAP OUT OF IT!"

"Yeah, I'd appreciate it if you stopped thinking about my girl like that." Spike said, irritated.

"Uh…" Xander mumbled, a faraway look in his eyes. "I'll try."

"You'd better do more than that." Buffy muttered furiously as she strode back to Xiaofan.

"I am confused." Xiaofan said clearly.

"Ugh…" Buffy said, pinching the bridge of her nose in a manner so much like Giles' that everyone stared for a moment. "Giles, can you _please_ bring…'Xiaofan' here up to date? I seriously need a walk and some asprin." Something suddenly occurred to her. "Does asprin even _work_ on vampires?"

"Course, luv." Spike answered, coming up to her and putting his arm around her waist. "Same rules apply as do to alchohol. Works, but we have a higher tolerance, so you have to use more."

"Wonderful." Buffy grumbled, rolling her eyes as she strode out the door with Spike. "Just wonderful."


End file.
